Written Answers Nos. 28-34
28. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending children's allowance to those secondary school students who turn 19 years of age before their leaving certificate, as the cut-off at 18 years of age is a huge burden to those parents, particularly in low-income families; and the cost of reinstating a payment for these students. [33025/15]
View answerChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability.
Child Benefit is currently paid to around 610,000 families in respect of some 1.16 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion in 2014. Child Benefit is an important source of income for all families and in Budget 2015, Government increased child benefit by €5 per month, at a cost of €72 million.
Budget 2009 reduced the age for eligibility for child benefit from 19 years to less than 18 years. A value for money review of child income supports, published by the Department of Social Protection in 2010, found that the current participation pattern of children in education supports the current age limit for Child Benefit.
Families on low incomes can avail of a number of provisions to social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:
- qualified child increases (QCIs) with primary social welfare payments;
- family income supplement (FIS) for low-paid employees with children;
- the back to school clothing and footwear allowance for low income families.
These schemes provide assistance that is directly linked with household income and thereby supports low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.
The estimated cost of extending the upper age limit for payment of child benefit to 19 years for those in education would be in the region of €58 million in a full year. Any changes to the eligibility criteria for child benefit could only be decided in a budgetary context.
29. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views regarding the increasing call from housing and homeless agencies for an immediate increase in rent supplement levels to bring them into line with current market rents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33027/15]
View answerRent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 65,000 people at a cost of €298 million in 2015.
Over 13,700 rent supplement tenancies have been awarded this year, of which almost 4,300 are in Dublin, showing that landlords are accommodating significant numbers under the scheme.
A review of the rent limits undertaken earlier this year found that the impact of increasing limits at a time of constrained supply will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to recipients.
Rather than increasing limits at this time rent supplement policy will continue to allow for flexibility where landlords seek rents in excess of current limits. Flexibility is provided under the National Framework for Tenancy Sustainment for both existing customers of the scheme and new applicants. Under this measure tenant’s circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis, and rents are being increased above prescribed limits as appropriate. This flexible approach has assisted approximately 4,000 households throughout the country to retain their rented accommodation. In addition, the Department, in conjunction with Threshold, operates a special Protocol in the Dublin and Cork areas where supply issues are particularly acute, with plans to extend to Galway City.
I can assure the Deputy that the Department, including through its Homeless Persons Unit in Dublin, works closely with local authorities, Government agencies and the voluntary sector in assisting homeless persons to access private rented accommodation.
I am keeping the matter under review.
30. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to assist carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33089/15]
View answerIn recognition of the vital contribution made by carers, the Government published a National Carers’ Strategy in 2012 to signal its commitment to recognising and respecting carers as crucial care partners and to respond to their needs, across a number of policy areas.
Under this strategy, the Department assists carers by providing a range of income supports. These include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and respite care grant. €822 million is provided for these payments in 2015.
Carers’ allowance is the main income support. Since 2004 the number of people in receipt of carer’s allowance has increased from over 23,000, to just over 58,000 at the end of August this year - an increase in excess of 150%. Carers in receipt of another social welfare payment (such as state pension) may also receive a carer’s payment at half rate. Recipients of carer’s allowance also qualify for free travel and, if they are living with the person for whom they are caring, the household benefits package
In addition, the Respite Care Grant is an annual non-means-tested payment of €1,375 made to carers by the Department. Full time carers who are not in receipt of a carers payment from the Department are also entitled to the grant. The estimated cost of the RCG, in 2015, is in excess of €124 million in respect of over 90,000 recipients of care.
This year, the Department is sponsoring a measure for family carers, under the dormant accounts fund, which will provide €1m for projects and programmes that provide supports and training for carers. Pobal, who are administering the measure on behalf of the Department, are currently assessing applications and it is expected that contracts, with successful applicants, will be completed by the end of the year.
As part of its commitment under the Carers’ strategy, the Department also hosts an annual forum for carers’ groups which affords an opportunity for carers to engage with the relevant state agencies on an ongoing basis.
31. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she has carried out an analysis on the impact of her changes to the farm assist scheme with respect to the impact of income disregards on farmers; if she will reconsider the changes made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33149/15]
View answerThe farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2015 Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure of almost €89 million on the farm assist scheme in 2015.
All recipients of farm assist benefitted from the Christmas Bonus in December, 2014. All recipients with children are benefitting from the increase in child benefit announced in Budget 2015.
Changes introduced in Budgets 2012 and 2013 have brought farm assist into closer alignment with the jobseeker’s allowance scheme’s treatment of self-employed persons. However, farm families with the lowest income will be least affected by these changes as the headline rates of farm assist have been maintained.
The assessment of means for the farm assist scheme is designed to reflect the actual net income from farming. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year. Account is taken of any exceptional circumstances so as to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation. Any farmer experiencing lower levels of income can ask for a review of their means.
As part of the normal budget process, all potential budget measures, including proposals relating to the farm assist scheme, are assessed in terms of the impact they would have. The scheme is kept under ongoing review by my officials, including regular discussions with the IFA. There are no plans to change the current scheme criteria.
32. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the proceedings of the interdepartmental working group to examine and report on the current and future operation of the free travel scheme; her position on the removal of the cap on the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31942/15]
View answerThe Free Travel Scheme permits customers to travel for free on most CIE public transport services, LUAS and a range of services offered by up to 90 private operators in various parts of the country. Free travel is also available on cross border journeys to and from Northern Ireland. Customers aged 66 years and over can travel for free on journeys within Northern Ireland. There are currently approximately 836,000 customers in receipt of free travel.
In 2012, along with the then Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I established an interdepartmental working group to review the free travel scheme. The purpose of the review was to examine and report on the current operation and future development of the free travel scheme. Owing to the range of policy changes implemented since its establishment, the scheme is now universally available to all persons permanently living in the State aged 66 and over as well as carers in receipt of carers allowance and certain others such as persons in receipt of disability allowance and invalidity pension.
The interdepartmental group has concluded its work and the report is receiving attention at high levels within my Department and I expect to see a copy of the report shortly. While I will read it with interest, I have stated on a number of occasions that I believe that this is a very good scheme which should remain in place, and I am committed to its retention. I was pleased, therefore, to note that in its “Statement of Government Priorities, 2014-2016” the Government committed itself to the full retention of the scheme.
With respect to the cap on the scheme imposed by the previous Government under the National Recovery Plan, 2011-2014, I am pleased that it has been possible to remove this restriction, and I understand that routes have been added to the scheme over the last year, and new routes and operators can now apply to enter the scheme, where they have received the appropriate licensing from the National Transport Authority.
33. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of the length of time it takes to process a new carer's allowance claim, and the length of time to process claims awarded after a review and-or an appeal process following initial disallowance. [33142/15]
View answerThe Department assists carers by providing a range of income supports. These include carer's allowance (CA), carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and respite care grant (RCG). €822 million is provided for these payments in 2015.
CA is the main income support. Since 2004 the number of people in receipt of CA has increased from over 23,000, to just over 58,000 at the end of August this year - an increase in excess of 150%. Carers in receipt of most other weekly social welfare payments (such as state pension) may also receive CA at half rate. Recipients of CA also qualify for free travel and may also qualify for the household benefits package. In addition, the RCG is an annual non-means-tested payment of €1,375 made to carers by the Department. The estimated cost of the RCG, in 2015, is in excess of €124 million in respect of over 90,000 recipients of care.
The average time taken to award a new CA application is currently 17 weeks. The Department acknowledges that in recent months this has got longer and is not satisfactory and, to deal with this matter, has applied additional resources and has planned further additional resources to ensure that this average time is reduced over the remainder of 2015.
The reason for the increase in average processing time is the significant increase in new CA applications - an increase of 18% in 2014 over 2013 and a further increase of 6% in 2015 over the same period in 2014.
Where a request is made for a review of a decision on a new claim, this will take longer. The average time taken for decision reviews is not available. These requests for review generally include additional information or evidence not originally submitted for consideration.
In order to minimise processing times generally, applicants should ensure that they complete the application form fully, attach all the supporting documentation required as per the checklist provided on the application form and furnish all relevant evidence they have in relation to the medical condition and care needs of the care recipient.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office advises that the current average time taken to decide CA appeals summarily is 21.4 weeks and 27.3 weeks for oral hearings. This represents a significant improvement in appeal processing times compared to 2014, when the average times taken were 30.1 weeks and 34.4 weeks respectively for summary and oral hearing appeals. The system is flexible and accessible and allows multiple reviews and submissions of fresh evidence at all stages. For logistical reasons the process takes longer when an oral hearing is required.
34. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of the tendering process undertaken to award the JobPath contract; if this contract secures matched funding from the European Social Fund or through the Horizon 2020 fund; the way in which such contracts are assessed and awarded; the names of the companies that have submitted proposals from within the European Union; the reason Ireland's existing local employment services have not benefitted from the awarding of similar funding; the administrative cost that is levied on the management of the awarded contract; the way in which the funding breaks down, specifically in relation to targets and sector areas; the submissions for funding her Department has made under the widening participation in society element; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33030/15]
View answerJobPath is a new approach to resourcing the provision of employment services to people who are long-term unemployed or at high risk of becoming long-term unemployed. Two providers of employment services have been contracted under JobPath to work with jobseekers and to assist them to secure and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment. A public procurement process, conducted in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules, commenced on 28 June 2013 with the issue of a Prior Information Notice (PIN). A request for tenders (RFT) was then issued on 12 December 2013. The RFT and the PIN were issued on both the Government etenders website and on the website of the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The closing date for receipt of tenders was 28 February 2014. All tenders received in response to the RFT were evaluated on the basis of the detailed criteria and according to the marking scheme set out in the RFT documentation which is available on the department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/search/results.aspx?k=jobpath&cs=This%20Site&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.welfare.ie%2Fen. As part of its development of the JobPath approach the Department held a number of consultation and information events and documentation from these events is also available on the Department’s website.
Tenders submitted as part of this public procurement process were submitted, in accordance with procurement norms, on a confidential basis. The department disclosed the names of the successful bidders in its contract award notice which was issued on 9 July 2015 (the contracts having been concluded on 5 June 2015). Turas Nua Limited and Seetec Limited were selected following the completion of the public procurement process.
JobPath is not singled out for funding from the European Union Social Funding/Horizon 2014-2020 fund and neither is the Local Employment Service (LES). There are no plans at present to request EU funding in respect of either JobPath or the LES.
The services to be provided under JobPath are in addition to, not a substitute for, the services provided directly by the department and those currently delivered by companies contracted for the provision of the LES.
JobPath is being delivered through a payment by results model and all initial costs are borne by the contractors. JobPath is so structured that the contractors cannot recover their costs or make a profit unless and until they get jobseekers into sustainable jobs, of at least thirty hours per week. Contractors will be paid via a combination of registration fees and job sustainment fees. A registration fee may be claimed only when a jobseeker has developed a personal progression plan and job sustainment fees will only be paid for each 13 week period of sustained employment, up to a maximum of 52 weeks (i.e. 4 payments).
